Are You Withering?

Monday Motivation

Full speed ahead or burn it all down. No in between. Zero grey area. Go big or go home. It is how I have operated most of my life. And for the most part, it has worked.

Until now.

Because God doesn’t work this way, he moves through the seasons, and not all seasons are ones of production. Sometimes we are called to lie fallow. For those of us who have no trouble running on empty, so long as we have two hours of sleep and there is a cold brew nearby, a season of rest can feel like a death sentence. Who are we if we are not producing? Do we even matter?

Yes, we matter. But our relationship with God matters most. Anything we produce—even a mere idea—is fruitless unless it comes from Him. And we go-getters like to believe we are doing His will, but more often than not, we are chasing our own.

“All our sap and safety is from Christ. The bud of a good desire, the blossom of a good resolution, and the fruit of a good action, all come from Him.” (Trapp)¹

Stepping away from the work to remain in prayer is necessary for our spiritual health. And this can be hard for doers, because prayer can feel like we are doing nothing. Life can suddenly feel directionless. But no phase of life that the Lord permits, regardless of how we feel, is useless. No stretch of time, even if inactive, is necessarily bad, especially if it's painful. In fact, more often than not, it’s the pain of resting in inactivity (ie, handing God the reins and allowing Him to lead) and waiting on the Lord that produces the most fruit. And not just any fruit, but abundant fruit. Healthy fruit. Providing one thing: we stay in a relationship with God.

And this is where the warning comes in: in a season of waiting on the Lord, we can be tempted to fall away.

After nearly allowing the enemy to lull me into the belief that it was time to wither away quietly, He set my eyes on the most familiar verse in the Bible and infused me with the grace to see it in a new light:

I am the vine, and you are the branches. John 15:5

Branches exist to produce fruit and can only do so when firmly attached to the vine. But make no mistake: a branch can appear attached and still be unhealthy. We have a few trees out front that, although sick and diseased, manage to sprout a few leaves. We can be fooled into thinking there is still life when, in reality, it is just unproductive growth—a branch left to wither.

Have you ever been left to wither? It is painful, isn’t it?

Allowing something (or worse, someone) to wither is to cause it to shrink or fade. The withering branch appears to be growing, but the truth is, there is no reproduction; it is left as it is, barely hanging on while dying a slow death. Some of us have lived in the withering for far too long because we are afraid of the alternative.

Pruning.

Pruning is not only painful, but risky. But far better than withering, pruning helps the branch to grow strong and healthy. Pruning allows air and light to reach more of the tree, benefiting not only the branch but also the surrounding garden.

When I recognized the lull in my life, I decided to lean into the pruning; to embrace God’s clean cuts, in the right place at the right time, so that He can be the source of the fruit I produce. Without Him, I can do nothing. Sure, I can appear active. I can look like I am producing. But unless rooted in a deep, mutual relationship with Him, the fruit will not last.

And I want lasting fruit, don’t you?

As the days have grown warmer and busyness has settled down, unaware, I quit setting my alarm. And this might seem small to you, perhaps silly or insignificant; however, it is not; it is intentionally choosing to abide in Him in the pruning, because did you know that it is a choice? Did you know that every decision you make is one to abide or not to abide? And so, I am back to the heroic minute. To wake up at the same time every day. To give God my first fruits, to saturate my mind in Scripture, to stay in thoughtful conversation with other deep, spiritual thinkers, to put that stupid screen away and pick up a good book, and to double down on the Eucharist.

These are the things I am choosing to do to abide in the pruning; to ensure that all my sap and safety is from Christ.

I am learning that I do not have to choose between full speed ahead and burning it all down. That living in the uncertainty of the greyness is an obedient “yes” to God; to allowing Him to make the clean cut I would otherwise be too afraid to make on my own. And no matter how excruciating it may feel at times, I will choose God’s pruning over accepting the withering any day.

Where are you withering away, and will you allow the Lord to prune you, instead?

What choices will you make today to abide in Him?

1. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-15/